I have been using Manic Panic on and off since high school — most recently a jar of their semipermanent Atomic Turquoise that Augusta had lying around for my bangs. But after several months of fading blue-green bangs and years of not trying another brand, it felt like time for a change, so I decided to try Pravana ChromaSilk Vivids in Violet.

Now, my fellow frequent dyers, I have always been the instant gratification type. Like, I know I’m supposed to mount shelves with special anchors and shit, but that hasn’t changed my habit of instead doing it with whatever’s in my house, so long as it takes under five minutes. Which means I’ve been living with wobbly shelves for my whole adult life. By the same token, I thought I might be able to skip lightening my bangs again and just plop the purple on top of my faded green — which, if you’re not already 100% confident in this, was a stupid idea and resulted in sad purple-grayness that I had to redo every week or so. Now that I’ve fully committed and bleached my bangs again before adding the purple, though, the ChromaSilk seems to be staying way more vibrant than its Manic Panic counterpart (I used Pravana Power Lightener and some Clairol Professional Creme Developer I had lying around for the lightening, but you may find something else works better for you).

I haven’t yet grown out of my bad shelf habits, or what one commenter called “hilarious fringe” in the last post (I mean, true; I don’t see much point in not having fun with the way I look), but it seems as if I’ve grown out of my trusty high school dye brand after all. Check it out, and don’t skip the bleach. —Nora Whelan

Summer in New York is hotter than the devil’s dick. Not only am I forced to literally just smoosh my exposed back on someone else’s exposed back on the subway, but I’m also expected to walk everywhere because most of the time, the subway stop closest to my destination is also a 12-minute walk beyond the station. I’m sweating my proverbial balls off, which is only made worse when I wear dresses and am subjected to my hot, sweaty thighs rubbing against each other.

In the past, I’ve tried the ol’ deodorant-between-the-legs solution, which is fine. I’ve also tried wearing biker shorts under my dresses to avoid the leg touching altogether, but doesn’t that negate the idea of not wearing pants? You’re right, it does. My latest attempt at just saying no to chub rub has been Body Glide, and so far, we get along juuuuust fine.

This particular stick that I’m using is the “For Her” brand — which is kind of bullshit because it’s the same as the cheaper “gender-neutral” packaging also offered — and for me, it does two things. First, it forms a barrier between my thighs so when that when they do rub together, I don’t want to strangle someone. Second, it’s almost like lip balm for your legs because it moisturizes your skin where it would otherwise be dry. If I’m wearing a dress, I’m also wearing this to survive. —Augusta Falletta